Pacific Island security cooperation still crucial for Australia

This article first appeared on Pacific Forum and is republished with kind permission. Read the original here.

Australia launched its National Defense Strategy (NDS) in April 2024 by stating that the country will remain the “partner of choice” for the Pacific Island countries (PICs) when it comes to security cooperation. But why does this status matter to Australia?

Australia, as a middle power, is a key regional leader in the Pacific. The Pacific region has been Australia’s backyard in terms of security cooperation since the end of World War II. Australia also remains one of the PICs’ largest trading partners and donors. Since 2008 Australia has invested nearly A$14 billion of its official development assistance in the PICs.

Being “partner of choice” remains a core element of Australia’s NDS for the PICs, for several reasons, and now that competition with China for influence in the Pacific is a permanent reality, this means using Australia’s international influence and relationships to advocate for the Pacific’s needs.

Firstly, climate change remains one of Australia’s top foreign policy priorities. As a pro-Paris Climate Accord state, Australia has played a significant role since 2015 in addressing the climate change issue in the Pacific and globally. In fact, Australia’s key international development initiatives have been driven largely by its climate policy agenda.

Climate change remains the single largest security threat in the region and since Anthony Albanese’s Labor government took office in June 2022, a more transformative approach has been taken to address the issue. Through its assorted climate investment efforts, Australia aims to reduce carbon emissions by 43% in 2030 and reach net zero in 2050.

Australia’s